Opinion | Hong Kong Open ticks all the boxes so how come there's no love from sponsors?
Tournament has had no title sponsor since 2012, despite everything going in the city's favour
Alone and unloved, the Hong Kong Open has been unable to find a new partner since 2012 when Swiss bank UBS decided they wanted to "realign their core values more synergistically with other ventures" - or whatever corporate babble they used to say, "It's not you, it's me".
It's a lonely search for a sponsorship soulmate who shares the same interests: long walks on the beach, French movies, and giving professional golfers lots of money.
The tournament seems to have the looks, style, reputation, class, but sexy sugar daddies aren't interested
Friends - the European and Asian Tour - just can't understand it. The tournament seems to have the looks, style, reputation, class, but sexy sugar daddies aren't interested.
We've been told repeatedly that everything possible is being done to make a new marriage, that the Hong Kong Open won't be single much longer.
"Admittedly, there doesn't seem to be much of a recession in Hong Kong, but getting the right sponsor is tough," said George O'Grady, European Tour chief executive, in 2012.
"I think this is a short-term thing," said his Asian Tour counterpart, Kyi Hla Han, last year.